


Please Stay

by FreeGrain



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:55:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25193530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeGrain/pseuds/FreeGrain
Summary: Ava's worst fear is returning to that goddamn orphanage bed where she has no one. Immoblised, not having anyone to care about her. So when she wakes up not able to move, all she wants to do is scream.{Avatrice}{Ava x Beatrice}
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 55
Kudos: 917





	Please Stay

**Author's Note:**

> ngl this one was fun to write! Anon prompted me on Tumblr to write Ava's first time cuddling with Beatrice after a nightmare or something. Well, I went with "or something". I hope you enjoy 💜
> 
> 👀also ignore me sprinkling hints of Camila's angsty backstory. I will manifest it into canon

Whenever Ava slept she'd been free. Free to roam about her mind's landscape like nothing had ever happened. She could stretch and move. 

Confined to her bed, she'd dreamed of a time before she'd been quadriplegic. She often ran down the sandy beach with her mom in tow, though she never saw her face anymore. She was always out of view. Maybe that was a good thing. The past wasn't worth the pain. 

She could almost feel the wind in her hair as she danced down the boardwalk, free as a bird. 

But everything came crashing down when she woke up again. She returned to her body, confined to that orphanage bed. And her world tightened. 

Until of course, she died. 

Ava couldn't be too sure what God intended for her but she'd take it. Worse things could have happened. She liked being able to feel and move again, even if she suffered for it. 

The Halo sucked ass at times but she'd never give it up if it meant going back. She could run, jump, touch, _feel_. 

So when Ava woke up and couldn't move, her heart almost stopped. 

_What? No, wait-_

But her limbs didn't respond, wouldn't move no matter how hard she willed them to. Like dead weights by her side. And then her legs- 

Nothing. Nothing. She could feel the bed beneath her but she couldn't _move_. 

_Help-!_

Ava tried to scream but even her mouth wouldn't open. She couldn't move her head. 

She was trapped—trapped within her own body. 

_Again. Not again. Please._

She screamed at herself to move, begging for even just a finger. But she didn't have that. Her mind pressed against her skull, threatening to burst free. 

_Breathe. Come on, breathe. I can't-_

A pressure on her chest, forcing her down. Was gravity her enemy, holding her back? She couldn't tell. But her chest forcefully rose and fell, demanded by the rising panic. 

_Help!_

Ava wanted to cry but she couldn't even do that. 

Was this the price she paid? To be trapped in her own mind with no way out. She pushed and pushed but nothing. She wanted to cry. 

But like this now, all she could do was panic and beg any God that was listening to let this be a nightmare. To let this not be real. But _fuck,_ it felt so real. 

It was her bed, no doubt about it. 

And someone was in the room with her. 

Ava couldn't tell if she could open her eyes or not but it was dark. Yet there someone lingered by her bedside, their aura blanketing the room. The air shifted next to her as if they moved towards her. 

_No. Who? Help. I can't breathe. What is happening?!_

The darkness pressed in, threatening to swallow her. It wrapped around her, holding her down and taking away her mobility. She screamed though no one could hear her. 

_Please-_

Ava's eyes burst open to the same darkness but fresher, clearer and her limbs shook off the dregginess. 

And she screamed. 

She didn't know what she screamed, only that when her mouth was able to move, she used it at full force. 

She touched her face, touched down her arms, feeling desperately for that contact. She could touch. She could feel. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. 

It wasn't real. 

Her feet, she grabbed them and dug her nails in just to check. And the pain was delicious. Any sensation a blessing in the wake of whatever happened. A nightmare. A terrible terrible nightmare that felt so real her entire body shook. 

"Ava!" 

The door to her room burst open and lit by a candle, stood Beatrice holding a knife. She scanned the room for any threat but then settled on her. 

Ava saw her and burst into tears. 

"Ava?" 

Beatrice placed the candle by her bedside and sat down next to her. "Hey. Hey. What's wrong?" 

Unable to resist, Ava threw herself into her arms, pressing her face against her neck. She felt her stiffen but then relax, one arm coming to wrap around her back and hold her close. Ava inhaled, letting her familiar scent fill her lungs. 

Beatrice was real. Beatrice was here with her. _Real_. 

"Ava?" 

More sisters at the door, coming having heard her scream. 

"I've got her," Beatrice said. "Don't worry. You can go back to bed." 

A few whispers but Ava shook too badly to hear them. The door closed and their footsteps faded against the worried stone. 

Her arms tightened around Beatrice not wanting to let go. 

"Hey… hey, I'm here. I'm here."Beatrice stroked her hair, a hand coming up to cup the back of her head. "Don't worry." 

And slowly the world stopped spinning. 

Ava could focus on the wall in front of her, on the feeling of Beatrice, her strong arms and her warm heart. She wasn't quadriplegic anymore. There was no one else in the room but them. It had all been a terrible nightmare. 

Ava sat back, knowing she couldn't hold onto her forever—no matter how much she wanted to. 

"What happened? Are you okay?" In the flickering candlelight, Beatrice's eyes reflected flames. She looked so pretty. 

"I… I don't know. I just…" Ava's hands shook before her and she stared at them. They acted like they weren't a part of her body, that they were out of her control. "I…" 

"Look at me." Beatrice grabbed her hands, drawing her attention back to her. "Just look at me. And breathe." 

Ava did, looking into those dark eyes. 

"In and out. Like I do." Beatrice exaggerated her breathing but it was just what she needed. She could focus on the sound, match it to her own. And Beatrice didn't leave her. She wouldn't. She never would. Would she? 

"I woke up and… I couldn't move. I could feel but I couldn't move. I couldn't even scream." Ava's mouth felt uncomfortably dry. "I just… lay there again. I couldn't. Again. I just." 

Beatrice shifted closer. 

"I was back in that bed again, Bea. I was there. I… There was someone here with me. Moving. And they just felt _evil_." Her nails dug into Beatrice's palm, though she didn't say a word. "I was back in the orphanage again. I…" 

"But you're not anymore. See? You can feel me. I'm here. You're safe."

Safe? In the past months, what did that even mean anymore? She'd almost died more than she had ever. 

But Ava knew that she was safe with Beatrice. 

"I believe what you experienced was something known as sleep paralysis."

"...what?" 

Beatrice nodded. "It's a common sleep condition. It can occur for many reasons—genetics, sleep deprivation, stress, abnormal sleep cycles. It depends really." 

"So- so, I'm not going crazy?" 

"No." Beatrice smiled softly. "Tired, most likely."

Truthfully, Ava couldn't remember the last time she'd had a good night's sleep. Being a Warrior Nun was hard work. 

But she hadn't lost her mind. Everything that happened had a logical explanation. 

Ava let go of Beatrice's hands and lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her chest heaved up and down. _Safe_. _Safe_. 

The bed lifted and then dipped again as Beatrice moved the covers. Ava didn't notice until she felt an arm wrap around her. A warm body against her back and then her heart jumped again. 

"What are you doing?" she demanded, turning to look at her. 

Beatrice lifted a brow. "Cuddling? I do this with Camila. It helps her nightmares. I can go if you would prefer-" 

"No!" 

Beatrice blinked and Ava blushed. Too quick, maybe? 

"Please stay."

She didn't want to be alone anymore. 

"As you wish." 

Beatrice leaned over and blew out the candle, bathing them in darkness. The blind were closed but a stray moonbeam entered the room, letting her see the curve of a cheekbone and the gleam of an eye. 

Ava realised she'd never seen Beatrice in sleep wear before. 

Without her habit, her hair was down, freely falling down her back and across her face. One strand crossed over her nose and she fought the urge to move it behind her ear. 

"I didn't mean to wake you. Or the sisters." 

"Don't apologise. I'd prefer you'd be safe and well." 

They lay face to face in the dark, looking at each other. Ava's heart raced but for an entirely different reason. One that made her warm from head to toe, heated her cheeks and made her want to kiss her desperately. 

Was it inappropriate to lie with a nun? 

Yet Beatrice had been the one to join her. She'd mentioned Camila before—that they did this too. 

"You can turn around," Beatrice whispered. 

Right. Yes. Enough staring. Beatrice was just being nice. 

Ava shifted around and looked the other way, trying to calm the beat of her heart. Her heart rate raised after the sleep paralysis but it would not go down with Beatrice so close. She hoped it wasn't too loud. 

And then Beatrice shifted closer, fitting her body against hers under the sheet. Her breath warmed the back of her neck, lips gently brushing the skin there. 

Ava's toes curled. 

"Do you… do you spoon Camila like this?" 

For a long time there was silence, the only noise the slow breaths of the woman behind her. And then- 

“No. Camila likes to hold onto me so she knows she’s in control.” 

Ava wondered what else lingered unsaid in that sentence. She knew very little of the reasons Camila came to the OCS. In fact, very few of the sisters ever talked about their reasons. She knew Beatrice's after their… talk. 

Beatrice squeezed her waist as if for emphasis. “I’m holding onto you so you know I will never leave you.” 

Could she be anymore perfect? Ava didn’t think so. No wonder her heart fluttered whenever she was near. No wonder she just wanted to be with her. No wonder her crush flourished. 

Ava’s hand slowly moved down to where Beatrice’s rested around her. And she slid her fingers into hers. 

She worried Beatrice might pull away but she didn’t. Instead Beatrice’s grip tightened on her. 

“Thank you…” 

“Go to sleep,” Beatrice whispered, but she could hear the smile in her voice. 

Ava rarely went to sleep quickly but wrapped in her embrace, her eyes closed slowly. She felt safe when Beatrice was around. And Beatrice wasn't going to leave her.

* * *

Beatrice always woke up early in the morning. Part of it was for morning prayers with the other sisters but it was also habit. She'd spent the hours before having to join the others training to better herself. To be the best she could be. 

So when she woke up, she wasn't surprised to see that Ava was still asleep. 

Whenever Beatrice cuddled Camila, she'd always slip out after the younger girl had fallen asleep. But she stayed for Ava. 

For perhaps selfish reasons. 

Beatrice sighed contently. She could miss one morning of training. She'd miss all training sessions just to hold Ava for one second longer. 

Sometime during the night, Ava had turned around to face her. Her head rested on her chest. Dappled sunlight trickled in between the cracks in the blind—not enough to wake but enough to see around the room. And to see the woman sleeping with her. 

Beatrice absentmindedly stroked her fingers through her hair. 

She could get used to this. 

Waking with Ava next to her, falling asleep wrapped with her in her arms. She could dream of a future for them. 

Beatrice dozed off again, never fully asleep but not fully awake. 

But eventually the time came for her to leave. As Ava wasn't a nun, she didn't have to abide by their schedule. She'd have a couple more hours of rest before breakfast and then training. And God knew she needed the rest. 

Beatrice slowly shifted, not wanting to stir her. 

Lifting the covers, she slowly moved her to the side. She slipped from the bed, thought she'd successfully escaped when a hand closed around her wrist. 

Beatrice looked down to see that Ava held onto her still. 

"No…" Ava said sleepily, eyes still shut. "Don't go… I love you…" 

She was unfairly cute. 

And sleep talking. 

Beatrice gently pried her fingers and moved her hand back. Ava didn't resist, shifting into a more comfortable position. 

She could have left it at that, could have walked out of the room and continued on her way. Nothing more needed to happen between them. She'd helped Ava. She didn't needed to do anything else. 

Except she did. 

She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I love you too." 

Barely louder than a whisper but she said it. For Ava would never hear but she liked to say it. 

Beatrice stepped away quietly, knowing that she'd have to hurry. She'd already spent too much time. Mother Superion would be annoyed. 

She paused in the doorway, and glanced back. And then she was gone. 

Unbeknownst to Beatrice, Ava's eyes opened as the door closed. For even sleepily, she'd been awake and heard it back. Her heart pace skipped a beat. 

Truthfully she hadn't meant to confess while half asleep. But again… maybe she did. 

Ava sat up, still feeling the soft press of Beatrice's lips against her skin. She was sure Beatrice hadn't meant her to hear but now that she did, there was only one thing to do. 

Ava felt herself grin and slip out of bed. Far too early for her normally. But she had a nun to go after. A nun to find. A nun to tell the truth to. 

**Author's Note:**

> You know, for someone who casually experiences sleep paralysis, I did have to look it up just to be sure I knew what I was talking about. I thought this would fit more than a nightmare because of canon ☺️ 
> 
> Did you enjoy it? If so, consider leaving me a comment to make my day 💜


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